The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-02-04
A WORD ABOUT JEWELS.
opals and Rubiss-Ths Famous Sane
Diamond.

opals and Rubiss--Ths Famous sancy
Diamond
A word about jewels. Noticed in an
English paper recently that Queen
Victoria had lately given away many
jewels containing opals in order to over
come, If possible. the prejudice against
them. How this prejudice arose 1t
would be interesting to learn. Among
the ancients this stone was highly
esteemed. Pliny relates that q Roman
Senator owning an opal valued at TO-
600 sesterces (about 100000 francs)
was exiled because he refused to sell it
to Marc Antony. In the middle ages it
was still greatly priced. Robert de Ber-
quen, dealer in precious stones of that
time, writes that the opal renders the
person wearing 1t amiable and acts as a
preservative against miasma and con-
tagion in the air. At the present day
it is considered unlucky as "the evil
eye"
The Paris dealers in precious stones
have been recently puzzled by the action
Of certain jewelers. in Geneva in throw
ing on the market 5000 or 1000 francs
worth of rubies which present certain
peculiar features to the analyst They
are found to contain aluminium, mag
nesia, protoxyde of iron, sesquioxyde Of
chromium. and silica precisely like gen.
uine rubies, and their density is nearly
equal to that of the purtst stones COM
ing from the East. Still the Paris
dealers are suspicious, and it is now
supposed that some clever chemist has
found the secret of dissolving this ruby
hitherto deemed insoluble and has sue
ceeded in forming single large stone
out of number of small ones. The
profit that would accrue from such an
operation may be inferred when it is
stated that ten carats of small uncut
rubies would only be worth ten francs,
but the same stones melted and made
into a single stone would be worth,
when offered as a genuine ruby weigh
ing ten carats, 10000 francs.
To conclude my gossip on precious
stones will relate q curious story told
by the celebrated Jules Janin. 1t APP
pears that he once came near losing the
celebrated Sancy diamond, SAID to be
worth 1900. 900 francs. 1t appears that
he was one day visiting the Louvre in
company with the Princess Demidoff
The latter, as the weather was warm,
took off her shawl on which was her
diamond brooch. This she handed to
the author and asked him to keep it for
her.
Janin, of course, consented and slip
ped it into the pocket of his white vest
and thought no more about it; neither
did the princess. the next day, how
ever, she asked her husband whether
M. Janin had returned the pin.
mo" replied the prince.
They sent in haste to Janin's lodg-
ings.
"You don't mean 10 say it was the
Sancy diamond" cried the bewildered
critic; ''what can ! have done with FTP"
He searched through his wardrobe
without success Suddenly thought
struck him.
Il put it in the pocket of my vest"
he cried.
SIN that case" said his servant, ..it
has gone to the washerwoman's."
Everybody ran to the washerwoman's
The good soul was cautiously question:
ed. She must not be exposed to too
great temptation.
20, yes! a breastpin," she replied
carelessly. '1remember. Ididn't sup
pose you cared about it, so / gave it to
my youngest to play with"
Fortunately the child was not far off
He did not suspect that his plaything
was worth a million and half, but It
was quite safe. Janin, however, never
told the story without shudder.-
Paris Letter.